COVID-19:

A MEANINGFUL STORM FOR RENEWAL IN THE ORTHODOX CHURCH

Final communique of

AN INTERNATIONAL WEB-SEMINAR ORGANIZED BY CEMES ΑΝD IHU ON

“RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES AND CHURCH IN Α PERIOD OF PANDEMIC”
(Biblical, Liturgical, Historical, Theological, Ecclesiological,
Ecumenical, Interfaith and Missiological Perspectives)

The Center of Ecumenical, Missiological, and Environmental Studies (CEMES) and the
inter-Orthodox Master Program of the International Hellenic University (IHU) “Orthodox
Ecumenical Theology (MOET) organized a week-long (6-11 April, 2020) Web-Seminar on
“Religious Communities and Church in a Period of Pandemic,” a crisis that not only
endangered the public health, but the necessary precautionary measures taken worldwide
have also challenged the core of the Church's identity.
CEMES was encouraged in this by courageous statements of illumined hierarchs that
“we the clergy – and, we could add, theologians – are responsible for the fact that our
faithful people have no idea what the Eucharist really means. The time has come to look at
our mistakes and to repent.” It also recalled what half a century ago the late Fr. Alexander
Schmemann said about another crisis, when he spoke of a meaningful storm for
ecclesiological renewal in the Orthodox diaspora. Therefore, it envisioned that the COVID-
19 pandemic becomes a meaningful and blessed storm for an overall renewal in our
Orthodox Church and beyond.
The seminar brought together scholars from all over the world (15 countries from all
five continents: USA, Russia, UK, Canada, France, Italy, Germany, Syria, Ukraine, New
Zealand, South Africa, Brazil, Turkey, Georgia, Greece), to reflect on the present COVID-
19 Pandemic and the way it affected the Churches. It was conducted by the CEMES
teaching staff of MOET, and it was offered by the authorities of IHU that provided the
electronic facilities, as an open space to reflect in common on the various aspects of the
ecclesiastical life throughout the world by sharing information and scholarly views on the
subject.
It was attended by 200+ participants, with short courses offered by almost all (17)
teaching staff of MOET, renowned scholars from abroad (10) and from other scholarly
disciplines (Law, and History), one bishop, 7 academic priests and few younger researchers
and Ph.D. and Master holders. All their presentations were discussed and evaluated in the 6th
final day by the participants.
Beyond the ways that the present pandemic crisis has endangered the public health, the
precautionary measures assumed worldwide have also challenged our ecclesiastical life in
two distinct, albeit interrelated areas: the enforced enclosure of the faithful, with
consequences not only for the constitutional right of religious freedom, but also for the
identity of the Church defined by the Eucharistic event as a community coming together “in
the same place.”
That is why the seminar opened with a Biblical and Liturgical session, particularly
focused on the need for translated biblical readings, the biblical background for
understanding the theological meaning of the Eucharist, as well as the priesthood of the
faithful for a desired liturgical and ecclesiological renewal for a meaningful storm in our
Church.

THE DETAILS OF THE SEMINAR

1. The Biblical and Liturgical session dealt with the profound nature and the various
Christian practices regarding the Sacrament of the Divine Eucharist, as well as the
Eucharistic event in the wake of physical (social) distancing. (coordinated by P. Vassiliadis
and N. Denysenko, with presentations by M. Konstantinou, P. Vassiliadis, D. Passakos, P.
Meyendorff, P. Andriopoulos and E. Venizelos)
2. The Historical session covered data and implications of major historical pandemics,
both in antiquity (during the Peloponnesian War, etc.), and in particular the early church
(during the persecutions) and of late Christian antiquity (the plague of Carthage), and
especially the great plague in Justinian’s era (in Constantinople, etc.) and the great
epidemics of the Middle Ages and modern times (coordinated by N. Kouremenos and G.
Demacopoulos, with presentations by G. Dokos, Th. Kyriakidis, D. Stamatopoulos and N.
Kosmidis)
3. The Theological and Ecclesiological session concentrated on the theological
understanding of the mystery of the Church, the Eucharistic and Baptismal Theology and
the experience and practices in a period of pandemic (coordinated by P. Panagiotopoulos
and C. Hovorun, with presentations by G. Kochetkov, Z. Dashevskaya, St. Muksuris and P.
Koumarianos).
4. The Ecumenical and Interfaith session covered various historical and theological
attitudes of other churches and religions, primarily focusing on the journey toward the unity
of humanity, the care for God’s creation and the visible unity of the Church (coordinated by
J. Chryssavgis and E. Clapsis, assisted by N. Dimitriadis and with presentations by himself,
P. Ladouceur, B. Gallaher, S. Boukis. Chr. Stueckenberger and V. Stathokosta). And
5. The Missiological and Pastoral session focused on the authentic meaning of witness
rendered by the Christian world over the centuries in times of epidemics or pandemics and
other similar crises ( coordinated by D. Keramidas and Chr. Sonea, with presentations by
himself, Bishop Lazar, E. Voulgaraki, V. Xidias, M. Sereti and S. Karekla)

1. The Biblical and Liturgical Session

The first Biblical and Liturgical Session of the seminar started with a very optimistic
perspective, and certainly hope, that the current pandemic can become a “meaningful
storm” for a liturgical and overall renewal of our Orthodox Church. It was also encouraged
by the statement of a hierarch of the Church of Greece that “we the clergy – and of course
the theologians too - are responsible that our faithful people have no idea what the Eucharist
really means. The time has come to look to our mistakes and repent.”
Coordinated by the President in Honor of CEMES, and Director of the Inter-Orthodox
Master Program of IHU “Orthodox Ecumenical Theology (MOET), Prof. Emer. Petros
Vassiliadis, who was also acting on behalf of the ill Prof. of the University of Valparaiso of
USA, and among the perspective teaching staff of MOET, Dn. Nicholas Denysenko, the
seminar’s first session started with one of the founding members of CEMES.
Prof. Emer. Miltiadis Konstantinou, former Dean of the Theological School of the
University of Thessaloniki, concentrated on the need for translated Bible readings in the
Orthodox liturgy, especially during this special period of enforced enclosure, but also after
the end of it. He presented the liturgical helps published by the Greek Bible Society, in
cooperation with the Church of Greece.
Second speaker was Prof. Vassiliadis himself. Having realized how serious problems
had emerged for the Orthodox self-consciousness after the preliminary measures imposed
concerning the core of the identity of the Church, the Holy Eucharistic, he decided to briefly
present the scientific findings of biblical scholarship on the biblical Eucharistic data and the
profound theological meaning of Eucharist. He concluded that the starting point for
determining the deeper meaning of the Eucharist, is the teaching of Jesus about the
Kingdom of God, and he underlined the eschatological and covenantal character of the
early common Eucharistic meals. As to the authentic understanding of the Christian
sacramental theology, he reminded that in the Bible “μυστήριον” is the hidden plan of God
for the salvation of the world. The Church, by extension, is considered a “mystery,” as the
locus of God’s salvation. And only later the Divine Eucharist was characterized as a
“mystery”, the Mystery par excellence. Until the 4th century AD, the term “Mystery” and its
derivatives were not connected in any way with what later came to be called Sacraments.
Third speaker was Prof. Dimitrios Passakos οf the Higher Ecclesiastical Academy of
Athens, also a biblical scholar, who using a sociological analysis of the Pauline epistles
provided a theological interpretation of the Eucharist in the Pauline letters. St. Paul by
making the proclamation of Lord's death the locus of the eucharistic gathering, he
understood the mystery par excellence of the Church as the opposite of "liturgical
escapism" from everyday social problems. He did not simply connect the Eucharist with the
eschatological event of Jesus' death, but with the proclamation of this death he inextricably
connected the Eucharist with eschatology and mission.
Next speaker was the Prof. Emer. of Liturgical Theology at St. Vladimir’s Theological
Seminary of USA, Paul Meyendorff. Making use of the biblical and the liturgical evidence
he made a plea for an urgent rediscovery of the priesthood of all the faithful, not only during
the present pandemic, but also in the overall ecclesiastical life. He reminded how important
for the Church’s mission is the engagement of the entire “royal priesthood”, not jus the
clergy, based on a Baptismal theology that will supplement our Eucharistic ecclesiology.
Fifth speaker was the administrator of the semi-official website of the Ecumenical
Patriarchate, theologian and musician researcher Panagiotisς Αndriopoulos, who presented
his research on the plethora of hymns and prayers composed in and for the present
pandemic crisis.
The first session ended with a presentation by the former Deputy Prime Minister of
Greece and prof. of Constitutional Law at the University of Thessaloniki, Evangelos
Venizelos on “Constitutional measures in democratic societies and the Church in a period
of pandemic” He stressed that in Greece, as well as in the EU there is neither persecution of
the faith, nor loss of religious freedom The church, as expressed by the synodal decisions
of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Church of Greece, the Church of Crete, he said, realized
that «the pandemic does not threaten the faith but the faithful». The so-called heroic
statements of some who are not afraid of the virus and want to take part in ecclesiastical
gatherings of worship, despite the legislative prohibitions on freedom of movement, are
deeply irresponsible and selfish. Solidarity and love are at the foundation of society
(κοινωνία) but also of communion (κοινωνία).

2. The Historical Session

The second session was dedicated to the historical dimension of the pandemic crises and
the Church's over time response to the various challenges associated with them.
 The session was moderated by Nikos Kouremenos, research fellow at the Foundation
for Religious Studies (Fscire) in Bologna, and George Decamocopoulos, professor of
Orthodox Christian Studies at Fordham University.
First speaker was Mr. George Dokos, a theologian and graduate student on Ecclesiastical
History at the University of Athens, who referred to the so-called "Justinian's Plague" and
its religious and cultural effects. He focused on the critical disposition of several historians
and chroniclers of that time to accept the widespread perception that the cause of the
pandemic disease was God's wrath for people's sins. At the same time, he presented
examples that show the influence of medical terminology on theological treatises and the
hymnography of that period. Particular emphasis was also placed on the impact that
pandemic diseases exercised in the field of divine worship and popular piety with the spread
of the veneration of doctor-saints as well as sacred relics and various types of amulets, the
development of miracle collections as a special literary genre, etc. The painful effects of the
pandemic, however, he concluded, together with the disappearance of large numbers of
population, have weakened the Byzantine Empire and facilitated eventually the spread of
Islam.
At this point, the co-chair of the session, Professor George Demacopoulos, made a short
intervention, referring to the personality of Pope Gregory the Great. This Pope ascended to
the papal throne, when his predecessor, Pelagius II, succumbed to the epidemic that plagued
Rome during the year 590. One of the first actions taken by the newly elected pontiff was to
organize a large procession through the streets of Rome that was completed at the Basilica
of Santa Maria Maggiore, dedicated to the Virgin Mary for the protection of the city. It was
an innovative move, probably inspired by customs of Constantinople, where Gregory served
as pope's legate, as until that time Rome's protection was linked in the local ecclesiastical
conscience with St. Peter.
Then, Theodosis Kyriakidis, theologian with PhD in Modern History and researcher at
the Pontic Studies Center of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, referred to the
historical witnesses and the recorded ways of dealing with epidemics in Pontus from the late
Middle Ages until the end of the 19th century. Special mention was made regarding the
withdrawal of people from urban centers and the role of the historic Monasteries of Pontus
in the care and maintenance of people in dire straits. As far as worship services are
concerned, the sources do not seem to testify clearly to the practice of suspension, at least
regarding the Orthodox Church, in reference also to what happened with the Roman
Catholic and Protestant missions operating in the area. Along with the epidemics, however,
the veneration of specific saints was also spread, such as that of St. Charalambos as well as
sacred relics, and icons in which the plague was personified in the form of a black demon.
The next to take the floor was the professor of Balkan and Late Ottoman History at the
University of Macedonia, Dimitris Stamatopoulos. Starting with the churches’ closure by
Ecumenical Patriarch Dionysios V in 1890 in the context of the questioning of the
privileges of the Patriarchate in the Late Ottoman Empire, the speaker referred to the
broader issue of the Church's relationship with secularization and consequently with the
modern state. The question directly related to the above issue has to do with which of the
two institutions, the State or the Church, can guarantee the ontological security of the
citizens. Already since early modernity, two different types of secularization have emerged:
(a) the model of the Church's complete submission to the State according to Thomas
Hobbes, and (b) the model of the Church's exit from the State and its integration into Civil
Society according to John Locke. According to the latter view, the State has an obligation to
restrict the Church when the latter questions civil rights. The modern state has the right to
exercise and determine its health policy and the obligation to ensure the maximum life
expectancy of its citizens and consequently the responsibility to stop any activity that
endangers their ontological security.
Finally, the Secretary General of the CEMES, Nikos Kosmidis, first referred to the
pandemic of 1348-1353 and the catastrophic consequences for Europe with particular
emphasis on religious phenomena that emerged at that time, such as those of messianism,
religious fervor, anticipation of the end of the world, choreomani, etc. A typical example is
the groups of wandering flagellants and the impact they exercised in late-medieval society.
In the second part of his presentation, Mr. Kosmidis referred to the effects of Modernity and
Rationalism on the view of death and in fact of the epidemic during the 19th century, such
as the apparent decline of the religious and metaphysical dimension and the acceptance of
death as a natural end and mourning as a social obligation. Special mention was made of the
phenomenon of posthumous photography, which appeared in the second half of the 19th
century, with which people tried to keep the memory of their loved ones imprinted and thus
alleviate the pain of loss.

3. The Theological and Ecclesiological Session

Wednesday’s (8.4.20) session was dedicated to the theological and ecclesiological

perspectives and questions raised by the current pandemic of COVID-19, but also to the
way ecclesiastical thought and practice in general as well as a period of pandemic.
The session was coordinated by the President of CEMES, Dr. Petros Panagiotopoulos,
Assist. Professor at Theological School of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and Fr.
Cyril Hovorun, Assist. Professor at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. All
addresses in this session were presented in English.
First speaker was Father Georgy Kochetkov, former Rector of the Christian Orthodox
Institute “St. Philaret” in Moscow and the spiritual father of the Transfiguration
Brotherhood of Russia. He developed the theme “A State of Emergency in the Church of
Christ or: A Feast in a Time of Plague?” and referred to the need of expanding ecclesiastical
boundaries in a state of emergency, like the present one. “When human lives are at stake,
the cost is extremely high, and the canonical boundaries of the church expand,” he said.
Both he and Ms. Zoya Dashevskaya, Subdean of the School of Theology at St. Philaret’s
Christian Orthodox Institute and PhD candidate in the Department of Church History of the
School of History at Moscow State University, pointed to the urgency of reviewing current
liturgical practices of our Church. “There have been circumstances when lay men and
women, could administer the holy gifts to themselves...It is entirely appropriate to
remember the women presbyters and deaconesses of ancient times in this context. Women
could also serve in the church in aiding with the celebration of the mysteries.”
The next speaker was Fr. Stylianos Muksuris, Professor of Liturgical Theology and
Languages and Chair in Department of Liturgy, Byzantine Catholic Seminary, Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, who spoke on the theme “Back to the Future or Forward to the Past? Covid-
19’s Positive Effects on Liturgical and Spiritual Renewal.” Quoting his Primate, Archbishop
Elpidophoros, he suggested supplementing our conventional understanding of holy
κοινωνία with a refreshingly new perspective of becoming communion for our suffering
brothers and sisters. The need to donate blood, to check up on the elderly, and to provide for
the material wellbeing and safety of the infirm, which is the horizontal aspect of the
Church’s outreach, complements the vertical communion with God. He also stressed the
importance of finding positive aspects in the current situation and activating the whole
ecclesiastical body, especially women are tragically marginalized, to deal with needs that
arise. The future needs “a more vibrant Church ready to be resurrected and reclaim its
rightful place as the divine-human force to effect transformation of hearts and
communities,” he said.
The third speaker was Fr. Pavlos Koumarianos, Doctor of Theology and Teacher at the
City University of Athens, who analyzed the concept of death in the Orthodox tradition,
making extensive reference to St. Maximos the Confessor.
The last main speaker was expected to be Fr. Ioannis-Panteleimon Manousakis,
Associate Professor of Philosophy at the College of the Holy Cross, Massachusetts (USA).
He was unable to join the session but sent the text of his presentation, the link of which was
distributed to the participants but it was also very briefly summarized in Greek by the
President in Honor of CEMES, Emer. Prof. Petros Vassiliadis, pointing out the way in
which Fr. P. Manousakis took advantage of narratives and literature from the ancient Greek
literature (Oedipus, Thucydides, Plato etc.) and modern philosophers and novelists (A.
Camus, Derridas, etc), who dealt with the plague or the semantics of the Eucharist,
comparing the accidental coincidence of the imposed Quarantine (referring to 40 days in
Italian) to the Christian period of Lent (also of 40 days (Τεσσαρακοστή),and draw
conclusions about the current state of emergency and the spiritual way it should be endured.
The session ended with a round-up and interesting short intervention by the co-
coordinator, Fr. Cyril Hovorun, who referred to the discussion on the Eucharist as it is
developed in the time of the coronavirus pandemic by those who believe or don’t believe
that the Eucharist kills the virus, calling it an Orthodox epiphenomenon of “Cultural War.”
He opined that it is unhelpful to continue with this sort of culture wars, in a time when the
virus, regardless of what we believe about it…will continue taking lives on both sides. Until
an Ecumenical Council (and here he mentioned the recommendation at the Holy and Great
Council for periodical Pan-orthodox such gatherings) decides which side is right, either
view is a theologoumenon, a theological opinion, not a dogma.

4. The Ecumenical and Interfaith Session

On the fourth day of the online seminar on “Religious Communities and the Church in
a Pandemic Period,” the speakers examined the theme from an ecumenical/ interfaith
perspective.
First Fr John Chryssavgis, Archdeacon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, opened his
reflection on how the pandemic has affected the way we speak to the world and the way we
respond to the world. He identified the global state as a crisis, which is a significant term
basically meaning judgement. He observed that the time has arrived to review our priorities
and to question ourselves, especially the leaders in all sectors of life (political, religious,
etc.) This crisis for Fr John Chryssavgis is an opportunity to move beyond narrow interests,
stepping outside of where we feel comfortable. It is a time to start listening to the others, to
the experts in every field. He closed his inspirational speech connecting this crisis to the
challenge of the ecological crisis.
Fr Emmanuel Clapsis from the Theological School of Holy Cross in Boston initially
addressed the issue from a contextual and then from an interfaith perspective. He
acknowledged that the Covid-19 crisis provides considerable opportunity for humankind to
appreciate human solidarity and reassess and correct many of its social, cultural, political
and economic practices. However, the virus has uncovered the fragile state of the present
world. He also referred to how the World Council of Churches urged people and churches
to give the highest priority to doing whatever we can to protect life and underscore the unity
and interdependence of humanity. Lastly, he underlined the need for solidarity and care
through faith.
 Dr. Paul Ladouceur Adjunct Professor of the Theological faculty of Trinity College of
the University of Toronto (Canada) reflected on Ecumenical and Interfaith Initiatives in
Canada stimulated by the Covid-19 pandemic. He presented five statements addressed to
Church and political leaders: a) a Statement by the President of the Canadian Council of
Churches b) a Joint Letter to the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau c) a Joint
Statement from the World Council of Churches and Regional Ecumenical Organizations d)
an interfaith Message to Canadians from Religious Leaders in Canada in Response to the
Covid-19 signed by 95 religious leaders entitled “Hope, Gratitude and Solidarity,” and e) a
letter to the Prime Minister. Additionally, he talked about the visibility of a joint online
ecumenical service, while also presenting some vulnerabilities of this initiative, such as the
timeframe and different dates for Pascha in the Easter and Western calendars.
The next speaker was Dr. Vasiliki Stathokosta, Ass. Prof. for Orthodox Theology and
the Ecumenical Movement at the University of Athens, who presented an ecumenical
approach to the pandemic. She emphasized that the Church exists as the body of Christ, a
reality that St. Paul’s description helps us to understand. Thus, it is absolutely essential for
her being the gathering of the believers, namely her members, at a certain place (“epi to
auto” = “επί το αυτό”) as well as the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. As long as the faith
in the Triune God according to the Scriptures is the common faith of all the historical
Churches that participate in the so-called ecumenical movement, Covid-19 seems to bother
us equally. It is a threat to our church communities and to our need to worship our Savior.
Prof. V. Stathokosta examined the ways historical Churches reacted to the restrictions of
religious acts that Governments imposed because of the pandemic COVID-19, and she
introduced several new issues and challenges that came out and enrich our ecumenical
debate and our ecclesiological agenda.
The Rev. Dr. Sotiris Boukis, ordained minister of the Evangelical Church of Greece
and a member of the WCC Faith & Order Commission, spoke on the transformation of the
church into an online “synaxis” as a result of the closing of the churches. His paper reflected
on the ecclesiological, pastoral and ministerial challenges and opportunities emerging with
this new reality, focusing on the example of the Evangelical Church of Greece as a case
study. He also reflected on the Eucharist, observing that while usually the ecumenical
dialogue focuses on the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, now it is called to focus on
the real absence of the believers. Finally, he reflected on the implications of the doctrine of
the priesthood of all believers, underlining that this pandemic is a unique opportunity to
cultivate the idea that every Christian is a representative of Christ in the world.
Christoph Stückelberger, founder of Globethics.net in Geneva, underlined the
importance of ethics needed in the current corona crisis. He connected the pandemic to a
new debt crisis arising in the horizon. Then he talked about the question of solidarity and
how the pandemic has helped us rediscover virtues, as well as exercise self-discipline and
modesty. He mentioned the conspiracy theories that quickly emerged in the pandemic,
making reference to the role of media ethics. He also said that we interpret the pandemic
through the glasses of a specific worldview. Finally, he concluded by connecting the health
crisis to climate change, saying that the pandemic shows that we have far more financial
options than previously imagined.
The fourth session ended with an interfaith reflection by the coordinator Dr. Nikos
Dimitriadis, treasurer of CEMES and Adjunct Professor of World Religions at the
American College of Thessaloniki. His argument was that Christians are called upon to take
an active part in this global pandemic by now recognizing others who do not share the same
beliefs as partners in dialogue in this mission of God and by selflessly offering the vision of
a global society of love, overcoming self-centeredness and other such boundaries related to
the self. “Interfaith dialogue,” Dimitriadis observed, “flourishes when it becomes a living
reality in everyday life.” He also suggested that we could very easily compare the pandemic
to the environmental crisis. His interfaith reflections were presented along with those of his
students, most specifically on how the three major monotheistic religions are responding or
should respond to the Covid-19.

5. The Missiological and Pastoral Session

The last session of the seminar focused on the missionary and pastoral aspects of the
pandemic crisis.
The retired bishop of Ottawa (Canada) of the OCA and leader of the Monastery of All-
Saints, Vladika Lazar Puhalo, spoke of the need to re-activate the laity, as a "royal
priesthood", in all the liturgical and, more generally, pastoral life of the Church. The liturgy,
he said, is not a ritual, a “choreography”, but the altar through which all the people of God
enter into the paradise.
Brandon Gallaher, professor of Systematical and Comparative Theology at the
University of Exeter (UK), spoke on “Corona as the Apocalypse of Orthodoxy: Judgement
and Hope in the Age of Covid-19.” He argued that COVID-19 has stripped bare established
Orthodox institutions, leaders and theologies (e.g. eucharistic ecclesiology). But any
apocalypse also involves hope (Rev. 21:4) and he suggested that we use the present crisis as
a God-given sign to recreate notions of community, outreach, holiness, sacramentality,
empower the holy laity and force the Orthodox to finally come to terms with social issues
they have long ignored, mentioning the newly published text "For the life of the world. The
social ethos of the Orthodox Church", under the blessings of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, as
a testimony of the concern for the social witness of the Church, a witness and evidence of
hope, optimism and not of despair. We are called to be creative as Church and allow this
moment to transform us. To be an Orthodox Church in the moment of late modernity, to
save creation, to speak the words of Christ to the world as it is now “We won’t return to
normality, because normality was the problem," he concluded. In other words, about the
need for the Orthodoxy Church to be open to the challenges of the world, without an
apologetic attitude.
Fr. Cristian Sonea, Professor of Missiology at the University of Cluj (Romania), and
co-coordinator of this session, said that today a theological reading of history is necessary,
along with an encounter with modernity, an assessment of the human body, a general
awareness of the planet and an understanding of our mortality, which should be distanced
from any form of fundamentalism and ideas about the “persecution” of Christian faith. How
do we understand vulnerability today and what will the consequences be for our system of
values in the so called post-COVID era? He asked himself. The destroying and saving of
our planet depend on us. And he concluded saying, that the main lesson to be learned by the
Churches and us is that of humility.
Lecturer of Missiology at National University of Athens Dr. Evi Voulgaraki
underlined that in the current circumstance of uncertainties due to the pandemic, there are
many questions as to the day after; but there is also the certainty of the Resurrection and the
true presence of the Resurrected in our eucharistic meal. This leads to the prophetic
responsibility of all Christians to preserve life in its full meaning, to plea for both freedom
and love in a dystopian environment and to turn our parishes into a true icon of the Body of
Christ, where a variety of charismas will flourish and also shine to the people of our broader
community, in particular the most vulnerable, implementing thus Liturgy after the Liturgy
and linking martyria with diaconia and social responsibility.
The theologian Vassilios Xidias noted that the crisis brings us in front of the need for a
re-evangelization “outwards” but also “within” the Church. The liturgy is - and should be -
a model of “celebration” for modern society, even in conditions of pandemic, he noted. He
also offered specific examples how the Orthodox could respond to the present state of
physical distancing during the period of the Holy Week and of Pascha, and beyond.
Maria Sereti, PhD candidate at the Theology Faculty of the University of Thessaloniki,
presented the Joint Statements issued by the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and Pope
Francis both for the current crisis (joint prayer on March 25), and for the ecological
question, but also for the common witness of the two sister Churches. Finally,
Sofia Karekla, PhD candidate in Journalism and collaborator of Orthodoxia.info spoke
about the different tendencies within the Greek ecclesiastical and journalistic circles
regarding the restrictive measures decided by the Government against the spread of the
pandemic, by some received as an invitation of adaptation, by others, instead, viewed as a
“confessional” resistance.
The last speaker, Dr. Athanasios Papathanasiou, director of the Synaxis journal, and
currently lecturing at the Open Hellenic University and the Higher Ecclesiastical Academy
of Athens, was unable to personally attend the seminar, but sent his contribution for the
final publication of its proceedings.
The session and the ensuing discussion were moderated by Dr. Dimitrios Keramidas,
member of the Executive Committee of CEMES and lecturer at Angelicum University, who
opened the session with a short reflection.

6. Closing and evaluation session

The seminar was evaluated in the 6th and final session (Saturday, April 11) by all the
200 and plus participants, who have quite unanimously expressed gratitude for their unique
experience, requested more similar event each month and decided to share the content of the
seminar to their Churches and to the world at large with a communique and an open letter.